Schools closed to students
(CNS): Updated 7:30am –Education officials have now confirmed that all government schools remain closed this morning for students. Staff who can travel safely, however, are asked to attend. With continuing worsening weather and more rain expected, officials said parents and guardians are encouraged to monitor local media for further updates. Thegovernment run Cayman Brac Day Care Centre, which is an official hurricane shelter, has also been closed today, so too has UCCI and all private schools. At this stage government offices remain open. Schools closed at lunchtime yesterday in the wake of a tropical storm warning. HMCI said there is flooding on the road networks and drivers are asked to proceed with caution.
"Standing water poses a risk, particularly when driven through at speed. Heavy rainfall can cause deep pockets of water to accumulate making roads impassable," HMCI said, adding that when driving through flood water drivers should proceed with caution. "Maintain a very slow, steady speed. Flooded roads could hide significant potholes. Be especially vigilant when driving at night."
Government urges the public to listen for updates on the radio or view CaymanPrepared.
All public service announcements about Tropical Depression #16 will be posted on CNS Storm Watch, which has a quick link on the main menu bar in Classifieds to the latest updates about hurricanes and storms under the sub-categories ‘Be Prepared’, ‘Business Update’, ‘Official News’ and ‘Personal Notes’. The link to the Cayman Islands Weather site is also on the Classifieds menu bar so that all the weather information is easily accessible.
Category: Science and Nature
I know that some people have found the sharpness of the ex-pat / Caymanian divide excessive given the topic. But this topic throws up a very specific issue where there are very real differences between the prevailing views of the two communites, and those differences are latched onto as being symbolic of wider perceived issues.
Yes, in Canada or the UK no-one would think for one second about closing a school for rain like we had this week. We would need some real snow before anyone would care. So when we read of people justifying school closures and work absenteeism on the basis of what is not much more than a decent autumn storm it clashes with our sensibilties and experience.
This is not meant to be judging one way or another but rather a potential explanation for the reasons for the divide on this thread and the sharpness of it.
A decent autumn storm may, in a matter of hours, clash with much more than your sensibilities and experience. Those who have experience with tropical storms know how fickle they are. There are myriad scenarios that don’t spell nice for us. Just because it didn’t happen this time does not mean you should belittle our preparations. A seemingly benign tropical storm can spin up to our south with virtually no warning and dump a full blown hurricane on us. The storm could stall over us. Even after the storm passes by it can double back. I really don’t give a toss about your experience, I give a toss about mine. Neighbours to our left and right suffered loss of life and property over a little bit of wind and rain.
Agreed. And expatriates from Canada and the Northeastern states may be forgetting that blizzards (not just falling snow) also close schools and businesses very quickly. The difference between "rain" (which is, fortunately, all that fell in Cayman this time) and a tropical storm, is the potential for destruction. If the potential had been for rain only, we would all have gone about our business as usual this week.
Anyone who has been ridiculing the government for closing schools "because of rain" is being disingenuous. We all know that heavy rains occur just as often here as they do elsewhere, and nothing closes. Only when we receive advice from the National Hurricane Center that the potential exists for tropical storm or hurricane conditions do we take the forecast more seriously — just as North Americans do when a blizzard is forecast instead of a simple snowfall.
And y’all know that. Cheap joke, if you ask me.
Newswire September, some years in the future…
"A tropical wave formed off the coast of Africa last night, and in accordance with current Govt policy, all schools were closed for a fortnight, to ensure no-one got water on their car tyres, or on their school uniforms.
Supreme Leader HRH the Ayatolla Mac, serving his 7th consecutive term in office, Twittered this e-newspaper from his 10th floor penthouse on Seven Mile Beach, with the news that the thousands of Jamaican domestics currently on the books with Oxford Realty as key employees, would be mobilised to babysit all the school children, rescuing this country from what would otherwise be a national disaster, and allowing the remaining working population to get to their desks in the Civil Service, the country’s only other employer.
"Ve haf vays" the leader went on to say "of getting things done in Cayman."
Perennial Leader of the Opposition, Sir Kurt Tibbetts, OBE, having just received his "congrats on a 100 years" letter from the UK’s King Harry, grunted his disapproval from the comfort of his massage bed, but had no comment."
More on this article – link here…
Wow, I can’t believe that the impending rain and school closures, as annoying as it all is, can spark a heated Ex-Pat vs. Caymanian discussion worthy of 108 posts – I fail to see how it is relevant, unless I am missing some big here.
I actually find it pretty disheartening that these are the sentiments in the islands that we came to live 12 years ago.
And there was silly old me thinking that access to education was a fundamental right. Who do I sue?
You can sue the UK government under the Human Rights Act for failure to ensure a right to free state education for all children in Cayman.
I kinda thought that government policies such as education fell under the remit of our politicians – not the UK.
How about you sue them or demand that they be held accountable for their appalling decisions and policies instead and write to the Governor and ask him to convey to the UK your disappointment at the current government, its educational policies (does it have any?) and the way they are implented.
After all, its your money and your child’s education that your government (not the UK) is wasting.
Is the Government saying that their schools cannot stand 20 mph winds, and that the roofs and walls leak so much that the children cant get on with their education? Do they understand how much disruption is caused when they close schools for no good reason?
The bigger safety hazard to the children is that many of them are left unsupervized either on the wet streets, or at home. The mind set is to have an exuse for the civil service to take the afternoon off at our expense. There would be hell to pay if those same people who left work at 1:00, found a note on the door of Burgerking or Fosters saying "we have closed for the day in consideration of the safety of our staff".
Our weatherman just said that we will be getting the weather system from the caribbean islands of Jamaica, Cuba and the Caymans. Yes, Cayman was mentioned. 6 – 10 inches of rain is expected in the next day. As a teacher, I am hoping that they also close the school the schools for two days as in Cayman. I could really use a long weekend. 🙂 Our schools only close if there is 5 inches of snow on the ground or more. 🙁
It amazes me how people criticize the government when they act in the best interest of the people. I agree that the timing was terrible and more prompt decisions should be made in the future with regards to schools closing. However….should warnings have not been issued and schools closed, god forbid if anything happened to a child at a school. You would never hear the end of it. The simple fact is, is that it’s better to be safe than sorry. Schools are closed because based on the NHC in miami, tropical storm force winds (which can cause damage), and heavy rains, are located in the cayman area. There is a reason these things are called warnings because they aim to protect lives and property. Stop bitching and be grateful we have and early warning system. Imagine if we had none for ivan!
Stop complaining about things you can’t control, like rain.And stop with all the Caymanian/Expat foolishness, we are all here together,so deal with it. Please people grow up.And for those who apparently start these spats for the fun of it. You’re not as mature as you thought you were.
This feels like high school. One person talking smack about the other.We still have the instigators,the pessimists and bullies and hateful bunch still doing what they did at school back in the day. It makes me realize that although we call ourselves adults, we are still children,we will always be someone’s child.Adulthood is a word or a stage in life for simply aging children going through the cycle of life, and although we all physically age/mature ,its clear the most never mature intellectually.
This is unacceptable! Today’s fiasco has been a blackeye for the education ministry, & the minister can call from Russia & apologise all he wants, but there is no excuse. They can say that this is something that happens everytime it rains, but the fact is that it has never been so disorganised & confusing as it was today (Wednesday). Today’s disgrace simply showed up the minister’s lack of organizing, lack of authority & lack of planning. There is no excuse & the minister should be ashamed ofhimself for his amateurish actions.
And for him to ask the talk show host "you do know that I am in Russia?" when the radio host "dared" to call him showed his lack of care & understanding, & also showed up his foppish attitude for all to see. Very poor, very poor indeed!
I attend high school. My classmates are much more mature than most of the people commenting this article, believe me.
CNS we really appreciate all the help you’ve given, and request of you verifying if schools will closing for the remainder of the week, as this weather is forecasted for a five day period (ending Friday).
Thanks
Education Ministry Response: We will continue to monitor the situation, and will issue a statement regarding any further school closings subsequent to the CI National Weather Service’s 4:00pm advisory today.
My question for all of those who are posting all of these comments about people being lazy and not working why are you posting comments instead of doing what you are getting paid to do. LIKE YOUR JOB. and for those you who are talking about rain and kids have you ever sat up all night with a sick child if you have then you would do all in your power not to make that child get sick.
Weather conditions are in no way appropriate for children to be in school today; I speak from experience as I am currently in one of the schools and have just fallen over due to excessively slippery walkways!
Totally insane, its rain for goodness sakes…It snows in the states and people go to work and school. When the rain starts a little harder here, everyone goes into a panic!!! LMAO
"It is nothing new. Many of the posts on CNS are Anti-Caymanian. Just like we are outnumbered in the Cayman Islands, we are outnumbered here too.
It sounds funny, but if you think I’m joking, make a positive comment about our flag or our rich heritage."
Somethingtells me that Sir Turtle on 09/28/2010 – 17:21 has a point here. But oh well… this is freedom of speech!
Ha. It’s a beautiful day for learning in the Cayman Islands.
Another page in the Annals of ill informed decisions by the Department of Education Services.
The National Archive must be nearly full by now!
Pitiful. Couldn’t anyone have gotten up a little early today to have made a decision before everyone was already on their way to work or at work? Businesses have to prepare for these types of announcements. Parents need to find care for their children.
Not only pathetictiming on the announcement, but horrendous skill in getting the word out. Radio announcer at 7:40 stated they were still trying to find out if schools were open. Is there no procedure at government, Hazmat, to let people know what’s happening? Why we paying these people?
Shameful.
Almost Correct: thank you for the caution. It’s sad but I guess puerile-minded persons can’t be screened and excluded. Hope they realize that their ‘pranks’ make it difficult for those of us who have mutual appreciation of the Caymanian/Expat inter-dependence and their stupidity simply makes everday life a bit more uncomfortable, unneccessarily!
Patricia X: seems like you fall into the ‘gypsy’ category but at least you admit it.
CNS: What is the GOVERNMENT policy regarding school closures? My kids attend a private school but do follow the government guidelines. I heard on the radio this morning that the policy SUPPOSEDLY is if there is ANY KIND OF WARNING, ALL schools are to close. Can you please look into for us.
You can’t have John Foster on the TV this morning saying, "stay off the roads unless absolutely necessary" and then Sheena saying "schools are open, get your kids to school". COME ON!! SERIOUSLY????
Education Ministry’s Response: A decision to close public schools is not one that is taken lightly, given the impact on both parents and students. However, at the same time, the safety of the students is the most important consideration. Where there is a Tropical Storm warning in effect, it normally follows that public schools will be closed. The advice yesterday from Hazard Management was that conditions would improve overnight and that the Tropical Storm warning, which had been issued, would be lifted and that accordingly public schools could open. The conditions did not improve overnight and as soon as the Ministry and DES were advised that the Tropical Storm warning remained in effect this morning, the decision to close schools was made immediately and conveyed to schools, bus contractors and the press.
HHHHHHHHEEEEEEYYYYYYY, you leave John Foster out of this!
For God’s sake STOP IT!!!
I am sick and tired of this expat/Caymanian issue – I’m Caymanian – I work my butt off every day… I’m not lazy – stop generalising. As in any country there are good & bad.
Some of the expats are lazy, some are not. Some love Cayman, some don’t. Some are well educated, some are not!..
But above all – we need to remember that we need each other. And for the record many, many Caymanians are "anti’" expat from years and years of hearing how horrible Cayman is, how ‘home’ is sooo much better, that they’re only here for the money etc. etc. And many expats are "anti" Caymanian as time and time again they come up against that attitude from us that has been built up over a good many years.
For those of you who have expats/immigrants in your home country remember how you feel towards them – it’s no different here. Both of us need to learn tolerance.
In Heaven: Will there be Caymanian/ expat bashing when we reach God’s heaven?Will we Caymanian or expats be occupying one of the choicest spot? We need to be more tolerant one to another. I have seen too much spew of hate on this site. What if this storm had hit Cayman, as a hurricane and the island flooded again like in 2004?.Expat and local alike would suffer. We would be in the shelter togather. We would share scarce water and crackers and cheese togather. And what if there were casualties both expat and Caymanians die or injured?. People when there is no issue of injustice lets not make up one as a reason for expat/Caymanian bashing. There are good people on both sides . If you ask I would say Peace loving and God fearing people outnumber the haters. Don’t bash for bash sake please!!
So, we check with schools this morning and get confirmation that they are open then are told at 7.38am that schools are closed – AFTER everyone has piled their kids in their cars and are ARRIVING at school. Seriously, could someone in Government not get their backside out of bed in time to make an announcement BEFORE we all left home this morning. You’ve created absolute chaos on the roads – the very thing I believe you were trying to avoid..??? COMPLETELY RIDICULOUS!!!!!!!
It is now tomorrow and we are still under a Tropical Storm warning. Conditions outside are worse than yesterday. Will someone at Government please get off their asses and make a sensible decision regarding school’s opening today.
Why the hell do the government get you to post this sh…t at 6.50pm to say that schools are open after telling children when they were leaving at 1pm that schools would be closed and then not making another announcement on the radio until 7.15am that schools are closed. How the hell do you make arrangements for your children at 7.15am in the morning when you are due at work at 6.30am to 7am. What a bunch of b…l sh…t. Jobs are f…..ing hard to come by and many employers are not sympathetic when you come late especially if you are Caymanian.
Anyone who does not come into my workplace today because it is raining is FIRED.
Ah boy.
This all so very interesting.
However, I cannot for the life of me figure out why a Caymanian would initiate this bitter battle that we are witnessing here.
I highly doubt an "expat" would even enter the consideration of a Caymanian student or parent at a time like this … I think it is a fair bet who threw the first stone here – not very surprising.
Anyway – the fact of the matter is that Cayman suddenly found itself in the middle of Tropical Depression – one that was already responsible for hundreds of deaths in Latin America. Those of us that are native to this part of the world know all too well the unpredictable and sudden changes that tropical storms are capable of.
This is / was not a simple matter of a "London Drizzle" folks.
Had things made a sudden turn for the worst we / they would all be on here singing a very different tune as we criticized the authorities for not taking the proper precautions.
*Note to the parents: These sudden school closures are like a dream come true for the majority of your adolescent kids. As I recall, the most eventful and memorable times of my ‘experimentation’ were on these very days.
School closure + Bus ride home + Adrenalin rush + A quick phone call to the cute girl around the corner + A 4 hour window + Nobody’s parents at home + A bicycle = Lord have mercy!!
:o)
Does this mean CNS has to add a half day onto the countdown? I don’t see how it would be fair not too as McKeeva Bush has no control over the weather!
It was lucky that the pizza delivery guys were able to still get around (not sure about any of them having those "fancy SUV things" that have been mentioned. If they had been off work or refusing to go out in the rain we would probably have had a famine on our hands as well.
My personal nightmare is the day when the staff at the burger chains and chicken restaurants can’t make it into work or have to go home early…. then there’s going to be a real crisis.
You can turf the expats off the Island and you may be better off for it – healthier eating will be guaranteed with no one to serve you in the fast food restaurants. There will probably be rioting at most of the schools – at least that is exercise though (you have to look on the bright side in these situations).
Wish could say the same for Weststar – all service calls cancelled today. It is 12.00 noon and it is not even raining!
I am not the one who makes these decisions but I can see the necessity for having a basis on which such decisions are made. In this case, I believe that the policy is whenever there is a storm (or hurricane) warning then schools should be closed. This is a precautionary measure for the safety of everyone, most of all our children. Storm prediction is still not an exact science and no one can guess when or where they will turn or intensify. In the same way that conditions seem to have gotten better after the schools closed, they could have gotten worse. For those so critical of the decision, think of what could happen if a "let’s wait and see" approach were taken and the weather then turned for the worse. Your child could have been injured trying to get from the bus to home! Those that are saying that the decision should have been made earlier need to remember that the storm warning was not issued until 10 a.m. Schools were already in! Living in the Caribbean means that such warnings are not to be taken lightly and the next time it may be more than just a little rain! I won’t even waste my time on the local vs expat arguments, they are not even worth the paper this is written on 🙂 !
Bad weather continues. Just why is the Education Department is giving the go ahead for schools to be open today makes me wonder. From all indications is that the bad weather will continued today.It is now 7am and the rains and thunder continue.
We also must realise that most of these schools are designated hurricane shelters and were therefore put on standby to get ready for such in the event that they have to be utilized for this purpose. If any of you had a child at the George Town Primary school especially ,you might be looking at closing schools early in a different light. That school was filled with water. I understand there was a Census training there the night before and the participants were stuck because water was up to their knees. It’s amazing that the building of a new school for these children were halted when they had already lost so many buildings there to Ivan and some of the classrooms stiill have mould.
Ok folks, it wasn’t necessarily a crisis situation- and yes we have had a few. But then again there are areas where alot of locals live i.e. Windsor Park, Randyke Gardens, Swamp/washington Blvd that don’t fare well during significant amounts of rain.
The schools themselves on Walkers Road flood quite a bit and remember the government schools aren’t like Prep, Catholic or CCC so children have to get soaked getting from class to class.
What is inexcusable is the utter contempt shown by many to those who had no other option but to personally collect their children. I left my home this morning and it took me literally 1 hour and 15 minutes to get my child to school and get myself to work. It normally takes 45 minutes.
There are some of you who get some sick pleasure from stirring up discord. You like to refer to it as wit and sarcasm but it is simply a sign of weakness- tremendous and deep personal weakness.
Geez Louise! Can’t there be a topic on this site which does not prompt "local vs. expat" bull?? Dissatisfied expats, if Caymanians are so lazy, uneducated, inefficient, xenophobic, corrupt, etc., etc. then this must be a really horrible place to be. Don’t you think? Then please just pack up and go. Locals, stop painting all expats with the same brush – some are simply gypsies who have no sense of appreciation for the opportunity they have here.
Can’t we all just get along??
It is horrible. But many of us are just here to pile up cold hard cash. Whatever is wrong, reminding myself of the cash and the sound knowledge that one day I will be going back to the real world makes it seem better.
Well PATRICIA X……maybe they should start taxing on your cold hard cash, this would give you a better knowledge and remind you of what the real world is really like!
20:15 You are some what correct. However, there are many foreign people who live Cayman and love every minute, and get along with the natives, but what most expatriates dont know, is that more than 50% of these anonymous letters are written by expatrates themselvs. Setting up strife between Caymanians and expatriates just for the "Fun an Hell" of it responses. I was absolutely shocked one day as I witnessed a Canadian friend of mine doing this just to see the responses. Be careful how you take some of these comments.
All that for a bit of rain. Hope it doesn’t snow. Wish my cable was working.
All that for a bit of rain. Hope it doesn’t snow. Wish my cable was working.
Wow, it is crazy how one post about schools gets so much action. I went to government school (JGHS) and everytime is rained, the ceilings/roofs leaked, rain came in from the screen windows and classrooms ended up totally floodedl. So if nothing has changed, I can see how schools would have to close (and I understand), but this should not affect parents attendence at work. You leave, pick up your child, drop them off at home or with a daycare/sitter, go back to work and work late to make up your time. If I were to take a long lunch or come in late on any day, that is what I would have to do! You suck it up, make the best of it and do what you have to do. It really isn’t a big deal.
And for the poor who have no sitter and possibly no family member – then where are they to leave their kids????!!!!!
That’s precisely why there are so many very young kids running around getting into trouble, stealing and vandalising, and preparing themselves for Northward later on down the line. It happens during school holidays too so it’s not just a rain/government induced problem
As a teenager living here in the Cayman Islands, I must say I am astounded by all these bitter comments between the expats and locals. I myself am a local, but you are all supposed to be mature adults. All of you making sneaky comments about expats and/or locals really need a reality check. I wouldn’t expect that from people my age much less people who we are supposed to look up to? Shame onyou.
Hear, hear.
Be careful about what you dont know, because I wittnessed an expatriate friend who was my close room-mate writting letters and comments in a way that it would seem to be comming from a Caymanian. He got a real kick out of the responses and laughed as he continued his prank. He is back on Island and still doing it.
Hello young lady/man,
I am an adult, and I must agree with you on how the adults are carrying on, they’re the young ones NOT ADULTS!! and as you said SHAME ON THEM!! PEOPLE GROW UP!!!!!! I’ve noticed another comment about expats starting the rumours and then laughing about it, well he or she is a very sick person and need a reality check. As for schools’ closures this is not something new to us, my children and grandchildren went/going to both Government high schools and when they had to leave school due to flooding I went to pick them up and took them home, but our private companies need to give some leave way for their staff to go and take their children home from school and let them work late to make back up their time.
You lost me. Which school was flooded on Tues 28th September?
So; as long as I criticize Caymanians in general, I will be allowed to post anything I desire. But if I criticize a specific expat, then I am blocked. Thanks for your impartiality CNS
CNS: If you actually thought about it for a minute you might work out that the deciding factor is not "Caymanian" v. "expat" but "general" v. "specific".
And no Bashing of the Premier or his Depyty for this one either LOL
I need a bucket. Quick. I’m gonna puke.
The ability to do anonymous posts should not be taken as liberty to try to piss people off, or even be impolite. Try to show some decorum in your interactions with the world and its people, even if you are doing so anonymously. There is simply no excuse for being rude, you jackass.
Quack!! I like the rain. But… we can turn it into an "ex-pat vs. local", "I work harder than you do" issue if you want.
wish i worked for government – come in at 9am ( if you’re committed), Leave for lunch at 11am, don’t return til 3pm, then go home as soon as it rains. awesome!
can i have a job please?
(note sarcasm)
Sure you can! But please don’t be envious. I know you can’t handle how good government treats their workers over how your employer treats you. But clean up yourself and police record, and just apply, my dear child.
;o)
please understand that not all Civil Servants are lazy. There are those who take advantage of the system, yes; but please note that there are those who work a full day and put all of their effort into the job.
It is frustrating to those who work, to see the lazy a#% Civil Servant drag his/her feet all day. but never the less, the hard worker contiues, to do the best they can.
Just remember that before you paint all with the same brush.
Then rise up and insist the lazy ones be fired. Lobby the Governor and the politicians. Bring to light the wasteful use of limited resources. You do not, and until you do I will lump you in with them. Want a good reputation? Deserve it!
I wish I had the power to change the laws; so that I could send some through the door, but it doesn’t work that way. Laws need political will to be amended or introduced.
To think that the good Civil Servants can "lobby" the Governor/Politicians" to change laws is idiotic. Please understand that Civil Servants cannot do that.
Both of you can take tomorrow off…
" I hear people talking bad about the way they have to live here in my country, if they dont love it LEAVE it let this song that i"m singing be a warning, when you"re running down my countryman you"re walking on the fighting side of me. RIP Merle Haggard
It is nothing new. Many of the posts on CNS are Anti-Caymanian. Just like we are outnumbered in the Cayman Islands, we are outnumbered here too.
It sounds funny, but if you think I’m joking, make a positive comment about our flag or our rich heritage.
I likes our flag and the rich heritage
Fair enough, Sir Turtle. To demolish the posters you are referring to, please write on this website six (6) sentences or more exemplifying and celebrating what you refer to by your expression "rich heritage".
Sir Turtle I cannot believe you are saying that many of the Post on CNS are Anti-Caymanian. Can you safely say that you have not contributed to that recently, or I was reading wrong.
The rumors of my death have been greatly exaggerated.
Merle
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merle_Haggard
Anyone know where I can buy a pair galoshes real cheap? 🙂
It’s sad when even rain becomes a expat vs local issue. However people should realize that most expats dont have children who go to school here and if they do they have stay at home wives to deal with that part of the day. Many locals have children who take the bus to school which enable them to get to work on time. As there are no sheltered bus stops for school children it is a bit difficult to leave them at the side of the road in the middle of a rain storm to wait on the bus, having said that most parents would have to take their children to school through slow moving traffic in order to drop them off. School children are not to be dropped off at government schools prior to 7:45 – 8:00 as there is no one on duty to supervise them whcih woudl equal them not making it work by 8/8:30am. Its really just a matter of common sense…
Damn! What planet are you living on? I am an expat, I work with plenty ex pats and know plentyex pats and Caymanians working in the sector – ALL of whom, regardless of nationality, have today had to call their helpers, aunties, uncles, friends, neighbours… anyone… to pick up their kids from school and look after them for the rest of the day because here in the private sector you don’t get sent home because of rain! I don’t know one (other than myself) without kids and who doesn’t have a full-time job. I think the kinda wives you’re thinking of are the Mrs Darts of these islands, and believe me – there aint too many of them!
Apparently these children, like the witch in the Wizard of Oz, melt on contact with water.
Thank you
First of all i’m a parent that has kids that goes to one of the local Government High School matter of fact JGHS and my question is how many of your parents actually knew that these schools was inspected by the Eduaction Dept this morning for flooding before una start to give these people hell call una children school and fine out whats taking place first. It was up to you as a parent to allow your child to go to schoolthis morning or to keep them home so please stop with this bleam game on the teachers and the Education Dept for closing the schools because if they didnt close the schools there will be people her critizing them for not doing so. Please remember our children spends more time with the teachers than what they do with the parents give them some credit.
Yes, it is just a bit of rain – nothing to get your knickers in a twist about, and certainly not an excuse to show up late for work (leave earlier – problem solved!), but it is a pain to have to buy an SUV on a flat island just so you can get through 12 inch deep puddles every time it rains. So, there is a lot of construction going on all over the island and I don’t see a whole lot of drainage being put in around those new buildings…? Planning got anything to say about that?
In an effort to "secure" the schools and children, government has created a complete chaos on the roads, resulting in people being stuck in traffic for literally hours in between picking up their kids from two different schools/sites and dropping them home.
This really wasn’t necessary. There were no high wind gusts etc.
This time.
Are schools closed tomorrow as well?!…would like some confirmation about this….
Nice of the Hon Acting Dep Gov to give ppl time off if they had kids in public schools and live in low lying areas bla bla bla, but he should have thought this through and anticipated the effects. Does anyone know for sure if kids will be out to school today? The CNS news story from yesterday says yes but we know there was a lot of rain last night and I’m sure the flooding is probably worse now than yesterday!
SCHOOLS SHOULD HAVE BEEN CLOSED FOR THE DAY!
I am kind of dissappointed in the way government makes its decisions pertaining to our children. The schools should have never been opened this morning. 80% chance of becoming a storm! That should have been enough information for them to declare SCHOOLS CLOSED.
Not when its pouring rain and parents have to now struggle to get their children out of the schools.
Rediculous!
Oh please, stop! You don’t know what ‘struggle’ means!
Tank unna too – do you know how hard it was to open the fridge in my air conditioned house house to cook my fresh bacon and eggs before driving my kids to school – OK, only one kid and me – in our MONSTA SUV so I had my own car to go whereever I wanted during the day if I wanted to? You have no idea what it is like to come home to satellite TV and WWW access that I can enjoy when I get back from my weekend shopping trip to Miami.
Stop trying to say you have it so much better – some of us are truly suffering – anyone seen my smoke pot and whompers???
NO – that is not the latest Blockbuster DVD release or gameboy game – THAT, my friend, is most of the rest of the world…
"Rediculous! "
Exactly the reason the schools should remain open.
Tank ya!
I really don’t think you are helping matters…
What’s wrong with "This is just storm and my kid needs an eductaion" rather than "It is a little wet and we should all stay home"??
This "woe is me" attitude makes no sense to me!!
schools should not have been closed period.
Ultimately parents have the prerogative to make their own ‘rain call’. If you get up in the morning and the weather predictions are as they were this morning, simply do not send your child(ren) to school. If you make a bad call, so what? Get the work from school so that your child (ren) can get caught up.
i’m sure the expat govt workers are taking advantage and leaving as well..and why are the expats blogging during working hours thought only locals do that?
This isn’t a blog.
There are the public funds being flushed once again down the toilets. I was in government office on Cardinal Ave today and the receptionist ignored the public and said he was leaving. Excellent customer service huh? NOT!!!
The ‘closure’ of the civil service today MUST be investigated as there was no need for this to be done. Even the closure of schools was a premature decision.
"Public sector workers have also been allowed to leave offices early where necessary"
Ha ha, I remember during one hurricane warning when the law firm I work for sent an email around saying we could leave early (3pm) to secure home and property if we had to, but to keep in mind it that bonuses were being paid the following month.
I was in Canada for winter a couple years ago. In the freezing cold both my brother and his wife got up, plugged in the car and got the children and themselves ready for school and work. Where I am from in the Caribbean we are experiencing the same rainy conditions and last I heard schools are still open. There are some roads that are now impassable due to landslides but the Government service is still going strong and work men are out clearing road blocks etc.
Guess this is the difference between the rest of the world and Cayman.
Partner, I dont know which Caribbean Island you are from, but my husband is from a Caribbean island too, and I can call name, Jamaica; when he check on his family yesterday most of the schools in his parish was closed due to flooding. I called a collegue of mine who also went to Jamaica to arrange her father’s funeral and was told that her children were out of school. So you see Cayman is not the only place closing schools due to the heavy rains. This morning many schools remain closed.
Most of you who post on this blog are very inconsiderate, some knows nothing about what you are saying. If many of you knew the situations with schools and floodings here on theisland you would understand why the decision were taken to close these schools. I was on my way to pick up my children when I ran into traffic on Smith’s Road; only to find out that Cayman Prep was closed too, Triple C as well, so since you people are blaming Civil Servants and Government for closing schools, I wonder who made the decisions to closed those private schools; it sure wasnt government.
I would appreciate if for once you people would look further than your noses, deal with situations on a human basis and stop this rubbish of labeling Cayman Islands/Caymanians/Civil Servants. Heck man, stop killing the goose that lays the golden egg.
Jamaica has rivers,we don’t. That’s made their flooding problem far worse than anything we are currently experiencing. They have island-wide flooding whereas ours is restricted to the (usual) low-lying areas.
Jamaica had twice as much rainfall as us. Factor in the rain coming down the mountains and riverbanks bursting… no comparison to Cayman.
civil service leaving work early????….nothing new there…… bet you won’t see them tomorrow either….
"Some government services will be disrupted as employees leave early to collect children or secure flood prone homes."
Meanwhile, most private sector employees are madly scrabbling to try and organise child care and/or get someone else to secure their flood risks because unlike government staff, they can’t go home early!
You must be new to the island. Get used to these kind of charades from the Civil Service and local workforce.
Any heavy rains or any earthquakes within 1000 miles of the island and all that are left in the offices are the expats who stay to get the work done.
Pathetic yes, unexpected, no.
Plenty ‘locals’ in our office!
Awww…..such heroes! Enjoy!
Haha, you would mock someone staying in the office to get the work done!
You don’t understand the correlation between getting work done and keeping business on the island. Oh, but of course you are entitled to being overpaid despite having no work ethic or drive, ha!
But yah, who are the fools here? The expats who are working hard to keep the economy alive or the majority of locals who sit back do nothing productive yet still get paid and promoted depending on the company’s quotas!
Making a lot of assumptions aren’t ya?
Who’s mocking? Why do you want a pat on the back for staying at work or is it because you couldn’t go home too?
Never mind, just make sure you are on time tomorrow morning or take a sick day and relax your mind.
No, not new to the island at all.
I was merely noting the difference between the civil service and the private sector.
However, for the record, I never had any intention of starting yet another Cayman v ExPat issue here on CNS, and I don’t concur with your thoughts in that regard.
oh my god , how pathetic- its just a bit of rain. its not even a tropical storm!!!!
unless all the classrooms are flooded – this is totally uneccessary.
you guys wouldn’t survive two minutes in england! it rains all the time like this there! the only reason schools close in the UK is if the pipes freeze in winter and there is no heating – other than that – suck it up.
you use rain as an excuse to be late for work too – you would be fired in England if that was your excuse – sorry but, leave home earlier!
I along with all the other expats in my office were here on time this morning and the ‘locals’ were all at least 1 hour late – excuse – Rain!!!!!!
Completely agree with this, I have never seen anything so ridiculous in my life. It’s just a bit of rain!!
Are you one of those highly educated expats?
If so, perhaps you should learn how and where to use capital letters.
Enjoy the ‘Rain’ ::))
Yes, I am ‘one of those highly educated expats’
The capital R in ‘Rain!!!’ was to make a point.
And i’m willing to bet you are one of those who got to work late because of the Rain!!!!
Note the capital letter in ‘Rain!!!’ – again. 😉
Please also note the sarcasm, and yes I am actually enjoying the rain, it is nice to have a change.
So, I ask again, where are your kids? Got some!!!
Sadly being led down the loser path of afternoons at Burger King and Wendys unless their parents are willing to risk their job running out to save them – that’s right, for the average expat, running out and ditching their job knowing it will be there for them when they come back is not the same right as it is for so many of my fellow Caymanians…
Seriously, did you stay at work and find a way to resolve your family issues this afternoon, or did you duck out and take advantage of having the rest of the day off just because you could – or better – DESERVED IT???
I think I know the answer so don’t tax your little brain with some pathetic response… Many of my fellow Caymanians DISGUST me – I suspect, by your answer, you would put yourself in that group…
Your’re definatley not a fellow Caymanian. Stop posing you expat
It rains like this all the time in the UK? Hardly. It just drizzles constantly. Like the beer and the food, the rain in the UK is slightly anemic.
Excuse me! Who is supposed to be "you guys"????
Obviously we don’t all agree with the decision our government makes, just as much as I am sure you don’t agree with all the decisions your government makes.
Clearly – you are the reason why so many people think of the English as complete snobs! You must have not cut it back home which is likely why you came here!
Where are your kids if you have any, being picked up or taken care by the ‘maid’ which the average local cannot afford. So yes, if they, the locals require the time off or away from office to tend to their kids, by all means…. suck it up and BTW, there is a BA flight that leaves for England this evening, catch it quick….
I bet if there was a Hurricane Warning there wouldn’t be any Expats complaining about Locals arriving to work late, because they would already be on a plane, running.
Errm this expat sits through every hurricane season in her own little wooden house – can’t afford to fly off-islands, can’t even afford to go home and visit my folks – thats reserved for the rich people, like my Caymanian neighbours who pop the entire family onto a plane every time there’s a storm warning – no lie.
GO WTF!!!
Reality bites – but the bitten are blind…
Owwwch! Truth hurts eh?
What a wildly insane decision. What goes through these peoples heads?
Was it worth the mayhem for a matter of two hours difference which will make no difference whatsoever to the conditions?
I’m appalled.
Funny enough if they delay closing and conditions worsen unexpectedly … you will probably be the first one to complain about them putting our children at risk.
They are doing the best they can erring on the side of caution. Give them a break geez.
Wrong if they do and wrong if they don’t
But we were all sleeping and/or coming to work as it was passing closest to the Cayman Islands early this morning, and then this warning was released after the storm had passed and was already well on its way to Cuba. So I doubt if conditions are likely to worsen in the manner you describe.
You are right …this morning the system was at its closest point to us, but the strongest concentration of rain cells are South East of us and as this disturbance is heading North North East, we have and will have into tomorrow night, rain,wind and squally conditions. As far as the School closures I always monitor the weather on various sites and it was easy to determine based on all NOAA forecast track models and other varying factors that the threat level was minimum and in my opinion the schools could have remained open based on the said weather conditions.
Your in Cayman now. May as well get used to it. This is just one of the many dumb things that happen when the ignorantare in charge. Can’t fight it. Just do what the locals do: complain and do nothing about it.
The NOAA website public advisory for TD #16 says Cayman can expect 5-10 inches of rain and up to 20 inches in the higher elevations of Jamaica. Wow!
We all have access to the website, so thanks for that meaningful and informative post.
That’s a little unnecessary–and biting! We’re all free to share comments on here; some others may not have seen this and it is interesting news. Lighten up.
lol… you sound like someone I know. Whenever there is an approaching storm to this island, they like to brag about how superman and unscared they are, and act like everyone in the world is chicken sh%t except them. I heard it before when Ivan was approaching.
To all of you: Please leave our children out of it
And apparently your job is to monitor all web sites on the internet at all times. Amazing. I, for one, am not able to do that and I appreciate the poster sharing that tidbit of information.